Court convicts mother for assaulting eight-year-old daughter

Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat of the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, on Monday, sentenced a 38-year-old mother, Vivian Onyekachukwu, to two weeks community service for assaulting her eight-year-old daughter.

Vivian was sentenced after she pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful assault.

Delivering her judgement, Sule-Amzat held that Vivian should spend two hours daily for two weeks doing community service, adding that it would serve as a deterrent to others, who were fond of abusing children physically and emotionally.

She advised the convict to change her behaviour and desist from committing such crime.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuerhi, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on January 30, 2019, around 9.30pm at her residence, No. 12 Sobowale Street, Cole bus stop, Moshalasi, Alagbado area of Lagos.

Emuerhi said neighbours, who heard the cry of the daughter, reported the case to the police at the Alakuko Division and it was later transferred to the gender section.

It was alleged that the convict usually assaulted her children by beating them, leading to bodily injuries.

“The defendant beat her eight-year-old daughter with a stick, causing her to sustain grievous bodily harm on the right hand,” Emuerhi stated.

He added that the offence contravened Section 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (revised).

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